'It's Not Good to Arrest Him': Bill Maher and Marjorie Taylor Greene Clash Over Whether Don Lemon Crossed the Line Into Criminal Conduct
Bill Maher criticized the arrest of former CNN host Don Lemon.
Feb. 1 2026, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Bill Maher has clashed with former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene over the arrest of former CNN host Don Lemon during a heated discussion on a recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, RadarOnline.com can report.
Don Lemon's Arrest
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough argued Lemon’s arrest was meant to intimidate journalists.
Maher discussed Lemon's arrest while warning of what he described as increasingly punitive tactics toward dissent. When an audience member applauded the news, Maher pushed back.
"It's not good to arrest him!" Maher said.
The most contentious exchange unfolded between MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and Greene. Scarborough argued the case represented an effort to intimidate journalists and criminalize reporting carried out in volatile protest settings.
"If you're Don Lemon and you're saying, 'I'm not with them, I'm curious, what are your thoughts?' — that's journalism," Scarborough said.
He pointed to the case's unusual legal path, noting that multiple judges initially declined to pursue charges before the Justice Department revived them.
"There's no doubt this was meant to scare other reporters," Scarborough said.
"When you have a magistrate in Minnesota look at the charges and say, 'This is bulls---,' … and then Pam Bondi goes, 'OK, I'll bring them myself,' obviously that shows it's at the direction of the administration."
MTG's Take
Marjorie Taylor Greene said she 'completely supports' Lemon’s arrest.
Greene rejected Scarborough's framing and said she "completely supports" Lemon's arrest.
"That's not journalism. That's activism," Greene said, arguing reporters are not protected by the First Amendment when they "harass people in the middle of church."
She contended Lemon crossed a legal boundary by entering a church during worship services and interfering with congregants' religious freedom. Greene also referenced a prior encounter with Lemon that she said required intervention by Capitol Police.
The arrest stems from an anti-ICE protest earlier this month at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators disrupted a service to oppose the pastor's role as a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. Lemon was present covering the protest, which later became the basis for federal charges under the FACE Act and a conspiracy statute.
'Can we just charge him with not cool, man?'
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Greene argued Lemon crossed a legal boundary by entering a church during a worship service.
Scarborough warned that blurring the line between confrontational reporting and criminal behavior could set a dangerous precedent as journalists increasingly cover protests and law enforcement actions.
Lemon was released on a no-cash bond on Friday, January 30, and denied wrongdoing.
"I have spent my entire career covering the news," Lemon said after his release. "I will not stop now."
Maher ultimately sought to deflate the confrontation with humor, suggesting the dispute may warrant something less severe.
"Can we just charge him with not cool, man?"
